


The Dragon's Den

by fr4nzi



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: F/M, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-27
Updated: 2015-02-13
Packaged: 2018-02-06 11:14:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1856005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fr4nzi/pseuds/fr4nzi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Merlin is a young waiter, working at the rooftop bar 'The Dragon's Den', where he bumps into the owner Arthur Pendragon. M/M</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Dragon's Den

Merlin rushed past one of the VIP tables, his arms full with trays and glasses. From the corner of his eyes he saw one of the men raise his arms, but being too busy he ignored it, weaving through the table, trying to get passed without dropping anything. Suddenly a hand grabbed for the hem of his shirt, stopping him and nearly making him drop everything.

“Hey! I was trying to order something.”

“Sorry my friend, but you’ll have to wait a second.”

Thinking it was done with this, Merlin wanted to head further back to the kitchen, but the hand didn’t let go. Irritated Merlin turned around to look into the stunning face of a blonde and blue eyes stranger.

“Do I know you?”

“No, I- uh- I don’t think so.” Merlin tried to find his speed and thoughts, reminding himself that this bloke might be gorgeous but was still an arse.

“Yet you called me ‘Friend’.”

“Yeah sorry, my mistake.”

The blonde cocked and eyebrow and huffed.

“Yes, I think so.” His voice was condescending, as if Merlin would never been good enough to be his friend anyways.

“It was. I would never have a friend who could be such an ass.”

Some of the men at the table laughed and whistled, and finally the hand dropped away. Merlin sent a last smirk the man’s way, before continuing his way.

“And I never one who could be so stupid.”

Having heard the remark Merlin stopped dead in his tracks, once more nearly dropping everything. Angry he turned around, only barely holding himself back from a further insult. “Tell me, is it hard to find jobs around here at the moment?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Would you like me to help you find out?” Merlin squinted, not sure what the man was getting at.

“I really would prefer you wouldn’t.”

“Really? What would you do to stop me then? Hit me with one of your trays?”

Having just about enough of his pompous arse Merlin stepped closer, feeling his magic boiling close under his skin.

“You have no idea.”

“Be my guest! Show me and my friends what you can do!”

Even before Merlin could or couldn’t do anything someone bumped into him while walking by, and the tray full of plates and glasses went toppling over onto the blonde’s lap. Too startled to react with anything other than a panicked yelp Merlin attempted to regain some balance and at least stop two glasses from shattering. It had suddenly gotten a lot quieter around them, and when Merlin looked up he could see the blonde seething, his blue eyes cold and hard as steel, his chest heaving heavily.

“I’ll have you fired for this!”

For just a moment Merlin let the panic subside and be replaced by anger.

“What do you think you are, the boss?”

Now it got even quieter and Merlin realized that he had probably made a big mistake just now. The blonde man stood up tall, plates and glasses falling from his lap onto the floor. He wasn’t quite as tall as Merlin, but with his head held high, his broad statue and immense charisma might as well be 2 metres tall.

“That is precisely what I am.”

\---

Dreading the moment that bar’s manager Kilgharrah would find out about the small escapade with the blonde who apparently was Mr Arthur Pendragon, Merlin finished his shift in tense silence and anticipation. Of course the one guy he got into a conflict was the owner and founder of the rooftop bar ‘Dragon’s Den’, which was on the roof of the five star hotel line ‘Pendragon’, run by his father. The bar has, within only two years, risen to one of the top places for the rich and beautiful to go, and scoring a job here, as a waiter had been Merlin’s goal for quite some time.

The work was harder but the money and the view was better, and studying and living pretty much alone in London, was no easy thing to finance. Gwen had already reassured Merlin twice that if Pendragon really wanted him out, he would have probably done so directly, since he was the owner. Also because he was pushed and several people could vouch for that, the manager would probably be able to persuade Pendragon from firing him.

“What are you still doing here?”

“Fearing for my life.”

Gwen only laughed and nodded towards the table Pendragon was sitting at.

“He’s still here, in case you want to apologize.”

He had changed meanwhile and was currently being joined by a stunning woman in a tight dark red dress that made the men and women alike stare. “She looks great doesn’t she?” Gwen asked with a dreamy smile.

“Yeah.” His eyes flickered over to Arthur.

“Some people are just born to be on top I guess.”

“No! You can get there as well, for sure.”

She sighed and smiled at Merlin, then her eyes travelled back to the beautiful pair.

“I hope so. I mean, not that I would want to be her, god who’d want to be around Arthur all the time.”

So that woman was his girlfriend? She looked about his age but there was definitely no sign of romance or loving affection between them. In fact, the woman seemed much more motivated to flirt with the man next to Arthur with golden locks and a beard.

“I thought you liked the kind of tough, safe-the-world type of men? At least when I think back to your boyfriend...”

“ _Ex_ -boyfriend Merlin, and no I like more ordinary guys. Like you for example.” Merlin huffed and shook his head.

“I’m not ordinary, trust me.” The heat shot into Gwen’s face when she looked at Merlin with wide eyes.

“I didn’t mean _you_ obviously, I just meant men _like_ you.”

Raising his brows Merlin watched as Gwen realised what she had said and only turned redder.

“Thanks.” He was barely holding back a grin as he shook his head. “It’s okay Gwen, I get it. And even if you had meant me, I wouldn’t have, you know, I’m not into girls.”

There was a short and slightly awkward silence before Gwen mouthed a silent ‘oh’ and nodded eagerly.

“I get it. Gosh that makes this so much less worse. I’m sorry. That was rude of me.” Now Merlin was openly laughing at her.

“Relax Gwen! I don’t think I’ll apologize though...I really don’t feel like it.” 

"You should, it can’t really make things worse than this, can it?”

-

Arthur’s eyes followed the tall and gangly boy as soon as he left the bar and his friend behind. He was heading their way, and Arthur was unconsciously propping himself higher up.

“I see you came to apologize.” The young man frowned at Arthur’s welcome and turned away. “Aw come on, don’t run away again!”

“From you?”

Arthur made a mocking surprised face.

“Ah! And here I though you were deaf, as well as dumb!”

“I’m beginning to doubt how much I really want to apologize. And I’ve already told you, you’re an ass.”

Morgana snickered and took a sip of her Mojito. The young man’s eyes temporarily left Arthur’s, as he looked over at Arthur’s sister. “I just didn’t know you were an influential one.”

Gwaine barked out a surprised laugh and Arthur shot him a warning glance.

“Do you know that I could get you fired any time I wanted to? All I have to do is tell the manager and you’re out before morning. I’ve been trained to run a business all my life, you really shouldn’t underestimate me.”

“So how long have you been training to be a prat?”

Arthur jumped up, once more enraged at the stupid waiter.

“You can’t talk to me like that!” The man only tilted his head a little, a smile tugging on his lips.

“So how long have you been training to a prat, _sir_?” When Arthur was about to take a swing at him, Morgana quite forcefully pulled him back onto the sofa. Her expression was still contained, but her eyes glimmered with amusement.

“Arthur, don’t make a scene. And besides, I like him. What’s your name?”

“Merlin Emrys, Ms-“

“Ms Pendragon. I’m this hothead’s sister, god save me. Merlin is quite an interesting name...”

Then suddenly she began laughing and looked between the two. “Well if this isn’t a coincidence. King Arthur and Merlin, finally reunited!”

The others seemed to latch onto the joke, beginning to join in her laughter. Meanwhile Arthur and Merlin just stood there, Merlin looking uncomfortable while Arthur just seemed annoyed at his life.

“That’s enough Morgana, don’t you think?”

She sobered a little, but was still grinning. Arthur turned to Merlin with a sigh. “Leave before I change my mind about letting you stay here for another night.” For a moment the guy even seemed relatively grateful, before squaring his shoulders in a defensive position and walked away barely more than a nod.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the long wait I was trying to figure out a way to continue :/ Anyways I Hope you enjoy this chapter :) In the next couple of weeks I'll be off to another country but I'll try to update as often as possible, so bear with me :)
> 
> Once again- some lines may be similar to the ones from the show, but I don't own Merlin.

Tired and barely able to walk straight Merlin left his university behind, where he studied pharmacology. It usually was a fascinating topic and he did quite well at it, wanting to follow his uncle’s footsteps by becoming a pharmacist. Today though the information seemed to just seep in and out of his brain, while Merlin struggled to keep his eyes open. After last night’s sleep had been slightly disturbed by varying images of a certain blonde bloke, Merlin was left tired, cranky, and not even the three cups of coffee had managed to change that.

“Yeah?” Merlin answered his phone reluctantly, not bothering to check whom it was. “Well hello to you too, sunshine.” Hearing his uncle’s voice, Merlin smiled a little.

“Hi uncle Gaius.”

“How are you holding up, boy?”

“Um I’m tired but otherwise well.”

“I suppose you have kept up with your extracurricular reading?” In his mind Merlin could quite clearly see one of those bushy and impressive eyebrows rising, and he winced. “Merlin.” His voice was exasperated and annoyed.

“I’m doing my best, I swear! It’s just with the job and the lectures and trying to sleep a bit every night, it’s been a little hard to stay with it!” And the thick book of magic had looked so unappealing that it had found its’ way into the furthest back of the book shelve, where it was not only hidden from visitors’ views, but also quite conveniently from Merlin’s.

“Merlin if you want to remain unhidden, you need to learn how to control your powers.”

“I know uncle Gaius.” Merlin sighed and groaned inwardly.

“Good boy. Anything else interesting happening? Or will you finally be able to pay your uncle a visit.” Gaius’ voice was teasing and Merlin chuckled.

“Will is visiting so we’ll be out and about I guess. I’m not sure yet what we’ll do since I’m working most of the nights he’s here.”

“Make sure to also focus on your studies. You can’t afford having to repeat a semester.”

“I know.”

“Okay, well Merlin, I do hope you’ll come by soon. Your mother and I miss you and it would suit me well if she would see you with her own eyes, so she can stop nagging about whether or not you’re eating enough.”

The comment brought a surprised laugh from Merlin, along with a sudden pang of homesickness.

“I’ll come by in the next couple of weeks, I promise. And tell mum I love her, yeah?”

“Of course. Though she’ll be happier to hear it from you.” They hung up and Merlin tiredly returned to his apartment, where he laid down to catch some sleep before his shift started.

- 

“So I see you got back with your guy.” Gwen looked up startled and blushed.

“How did you know?”

“I didn't- you’re smiling though.” He said with a shrug and told Mick, the bartender, his order.

“I haven’t told anyone yet, and no one noticed. It’s weird that you know.”

“Sorry if I’m intruding privacy.” With a smirk Merlin put the first glasses back on the tray. “I really can’t help it though, you see, I’m psychic.” Gwen giggled and shook her head.

“No you’re not.”

“I really am.”

“Fine, then what are you thinking?” Feigning concentration Merlin squinted and stared at Gwen for a second.  
“That I’m not psychic.”

Giggling she shook her head again, some of her curls freeing themselves from her bun.

“You’re weird.” Once more her eyes widened. “I didn’t mean that in a mean way. Just funny, weird. I like that about you in fact.” Smiling Merlin lifted the heavy tray.

“Thanks. It’s one of my many admirable qualities.”

Followed by her laughter Merlin crossed the floor with long strides to hand out the drinks to his customers. So far the night had gone well, and even though Mr Pendragon had taken the same seat, Merlin hadn’t had to talk to him yet. His sister was there again, but this time they weren’t accompanied by the full entourage, but only by three other men.

Morgana leaned back in the sofa and sighed, her attentive eyes travelling over tonight’s crowd.

“This place is going well.”

“It is. I’ve spent enough time making sure of that.” Morgana only huffed.

“I suppose with nothing and no one else to invest your time in, I can’t blame you.” Gwaine chuckled and took another sip of his whiskey.

“What are you trying to say Morgana? You don’t usually hold back from speaking your mind.” She made an assertive sound as her light eyes stopped travelling.

“Poor Merlin.”

Arthur shifted, following Morgana’s gaze to the lanky man from last night. He was unloading a tray of glasses to a table full of tipsy and excited women, and even from this distance it was obvious that he was extremely uncomfortable. The tension left his slim shoulders however once he reached the curly haired girl, saying something that made her startle and blush.  
“Yeah.”

“Those two...he seems to really like her.”

“If you say so.”

“He tries hard at least. It’s been a while since someone has tried so hard to win my affection.”

Knowing what she was getting at, Arthur looked at Leon who lowered his head in shame. It was well known to everyone that the two were in love, but also that Leon was too scared of Uther’s reaction to ask for her hand. “I can hardly imagine anyone ever doing so.”

“Yeah, neither can I.” Some of the bitterness left Morgana’s face and she chuckled.

“That’s because you’re not like Merlin. He’s obviously a lover and a romantic.”

“You got all that from seeing him only last night?” Thinking back to his sarcastic comments, it was hard for him to see him as a romantic.

“It’s a womanly instinct Arthur, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Well maybe I just haven’t found the right person to love yet. Perhaps then I could imagine trying so hard.”

“Or maybe you’re just not looking in the right way.”

To those who knew, Morgana’s comment held a lot more meaning. Arthur and Lance exchanged pained looks, and Gwaine raised his glass.

“I still don’t get why you’re such a sissy about it. Liking blokes is nothing too bad.”

“Not in the eyes of my father.”

“Oh come on Arthur, you can’t keep using Uther as an excuse.” Arthur only rolled his eyes at his sister and friend.

“I’m not I’m just-“

“Not ready yet.”

Gwaine finished for him and sighed in annoyance. “It’s not like we haven’t heard it a thousand times. I need another drink. Anything I should order for you guys?” Arthur shook his head, while Morgana asked for another Margarita and Lance and Leon still had their glasses full.

 

“Merlin, was it?” Merlin flinched and turned to the man smiling at him.

“Yes sir?” He seemed vaguely familiar, but Merlin was pretty certain that they hadn’t officially met.

“I’m Gwaine, in case you’re wondering. You were the bloke who stood up to Arthur last night. It was impressive.”

“It was foolish.”

“Necessary. Now and then Arthur needs someone to tell him their mind and get them back on the floor.”  
“Yes I’m sure it must be very hard for him to own this much money.” Gwaine laughed and Merlin couldn’t hide a smile. “Was there something you wanted to order?”

“Yeah, for the table back there, another whiskey and a Margarita.”

“Sure, coming right up.”

The other man grinned and flicked his hair back. It seemed slightly ridiculous but if the giggling girls next to them were any indication it was working. Gwaine’s grin only widened before he returned to his table. Merlin watched him go, and for a moment his eyes met Arthur’s, who looked up when Gwaine came back. He couldn’t help but acknowledge the bright blue of them, or how the overhead light made his hair look like molten gold. Forcing himself to look away, Merlin went to the bar to get the drinks.

 

Arthur was left slightly breathless as he watched Merlin pull his gaze away and turn around. For a moment when their eyes had met... it had been different that was for sure. Not a sappy kind of tingling in his stomach, but something nice and strangely welcome, despite how much he tried to tell himself that he was more into girls.

“Arthur? Arthur are you evening listening to me?”

“What? Yeah. Sure, do carry on.”

“I asked you something.”

“Then you’ll have to repeat it for me, sorry.” Morgana sighed in annoyance.

“It’s about dad’s charity event.”

“What about it? Its still months away.”

“Are you planning on bringing a date?” Arthur’s eyes travelled over to Merlin heading towards them before shrugging.

“Probably not. I haven’t really thought about it. Why?”

“The guest list is being set up, and I was asked about your plus one.”

“You can always take me, you know?” Gwaine grinned, and when Merlin came with their drinks, stretched up to take his whiskey. “Or Merlin.”

“Sorry?” The boy’s eyes widened, their light blue colour strangely bright despite the darkness. The light from the torches sent elongated shadows over face, those from his long lashes joining the ones under his sharp cheekbones.

“Nothing, please just ignore him.” Lance said with his usual soft voice and smiled.

“He’d look good in a suit though.” Surprised and slightly shocked that Morgana joined Gwaine on the teasing as she took her Margarita with an appreciating look at Merlin, Arthur opened his mouth to apologize.

“He’d look good out of it, too.”

Gwaine’s last word was nearly cut off by his yelp, when his glass of whiskey suddenly spilled over his pants. There was a short silence before Leon began laughing his arse off, and even Lance couldn’t hold back his laughter. Arthur’s eyes however were still trained on Merlin’s face, flaming red with embarrassment, but somehow more content. And had it just been a trick of light, a flickering of the torches set all around, or had Merlin’s eyes really just changed into a golden colour?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys :) Sorry for the long wait, I just returned from summer camp, which was amazing, but I didn't have any time to write :/ So here is just a short chapter, and I'll make sure to update soon again. Hope you enjoy!

Merlin felt the heat burn in his cheek as he looked away.

Arthur’s eyes were fixed on him and he was slightly frowning. Had he seen anything? Was he suspecting him? Merlin quickly adverted his eyes and turned to Gwaine innocently.

“Do you need me to bring you a towel?” Gwaine nodded, swearing loudly and quite obscenely, attracting the eyes of other customers. At least the other two men had finally managed to hold back their laughter and as Merlin turned away conversation was nearly turning back to normal.

“Are you okay?” Merlin put down his tray and grunted as Joe, the bartender, waited for his order.

“I just need a towel.”

“Been spilling a lot lately, huh? Anything on your mind?”

“The guy spilled it over himself this time.”

“If you say so Merls.” Joe just grinned and tossed him a towel, which Merlin dutifully took over to Gwaine who had settled down a little. As he arrived Gwaine even looked up with a smirk.

 

“Are you going to pat it dry for me?”  His voice slurred a little at the end and his eyes had difficulties focusing. Jesus the guy was an arse.

“I think you’ll manage as much.”

“Oh, but I’m sure you’re great at it.” The suggestive tone was impossible to miss and unsure of how to reply Merlin shot a look at Arthur. He was just glaring at Gwaine, probably feeling embarrassed for the crudeness of his companion.

“Gwaine really, don’t be such a dick, you’re making all of us and Merlin uncomfortable.” Morgana smiled at Merlin, who didn’t really feel very reassured by it.

“And here I was, trying to put him at ease. I heard it makes it hurt less.”

 

“Shut the fuck up Gwaine!” Arthur got up at Gwaine’s last words and glared at him, daring anyone to say another word.

“That is enough. Thank you Merlin, please just give me the towel.” The boy nodded and handed him the piece of cloth with shaky hands. As their eyes joined Arthur felt as if Merlin was trying to thank him with the slightest nod, before quickly turning away.

“No need to get so touchy, princess.”

“That went too far, and you know it.” 

“I was only teasing!” Gwaine chuckled and lifted his hands in a defensive gesture, at the same time lifting the glass to his lips and taking another sip. Feeling the anger boiling close under Arthur’s skin he grabbed Gwaine’s glass and send another burning look around the group. 

“You’ve had enough for tonight. I’ll go apologize, when I come back I want you guys gone.”

“Arthur...” Morgana reached out with a soothing hand, but Arthur batted it away.

“All of you! This is my place and I won't tolerate you disrespecting anyone working here.” 

"You were doing it!" 

"Yeah, my place remember. Now get up and leave, you too Morgana." Her lips tightened and he could see that she would bring this up once they were home, but she nodded and got up.

Arthur took a long drink from Gwaine’s glass and left the group behind, going to look for Merlin.

 

After fruitlessly wandering around and not finding Merlin, Arthur approached the pretty brunette whom Merlin had been talking to earlier. 

“Sorry, but have you seen Merlin?” The girl turned, was about to say something, as the words got stuck in her throat. Arthur only raised his brows and smiled, trying to appear more trustworthy. 

“Mr Pendragon! Um Merlin, he uh, I think he’s taking a break right now.”

“And where would he do that?”

“Well, I suppose since it’s you asking...”

Arthur walked the way to the pool and saw the dividers that separated clients’ space and the part where all the utensils and ingredients were kept.

He pushed aside one of the dividers and squeezed onto a much quieter part of the roof. On the other side, between boxes stacked higher than the man himself stood Merlin, his head bowed and looking down over the railing.

“Gwaine might be an arse but he’s not worth jumping for.” Merlin flinched and turned and only sighed when he saw Arthur. 

“Mr Pendragon. Anything else I can get you? Bill for cleaning the shirt came back?” With a huff Arthur leaned on the railing next to Merlin.

“Glad to know that you think so highly of me. But no, I actually came to apologize.”

“For what? It wasn’t you being the prat for once.”

“No, not that I ever am a prat, but Gwaine’s my friend-”

“I assumed as much.”

“-And I’m sorry for the way he acted.” Merlin looked at him from the side, blue eyes wide open and surprisingly pale in the dark night. After a while he nodded and turned back to look at the city.

“It’s okay. I appreciate it though that you came out here to tell me that.”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want this to stand between us.”

It was out before Arthur could think about any possible implications his words may have and a silence spread between them as Merlin stared. And stared. Arthur cleared his throat and turned to leave. “Well, don’t have a break for too long.”

“Yes, sir.” The words rang in his ears as Arthur walked away and he could hear the surprise and amusement in them. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...another long wait later and the next chapter is done :D This one is a bit longer, just to make up for it haha :p also the next one is already under construction so it won't be too long :) Hope you enjoy!

Arthur walked down the hallway of the Pendragon family house, everything dark and quiet. Pretty much everyone was already asleep and for once Arthur felt comfortable surrounded by the tall walls and windows and heavy curtains.

For a moment he stopped and just took a moment to enjoy the perfect stillness after another bustling night at the Den. That waiter Merlin...He huffed and shook his head, thinking about the way Merlin would stare at him like a deer in the headlights. Those big blue eyes, the small goddamn kissable mouth-

“Arthur?”

His head flung around, surprised but also strangely relieved at the sudden interruption of his thoughts. “You only came back now?” Morgana was already wearing her pyjamas and looked as if she’d been to bed already.

“Yeah. It took me a while to find him. Then I met some friends and so I only managed managed to get back now.”

“Ah. Are you okay? Back then you seemed really...out of it.”

“Sure, of course I’m fine. But what Gwaine said-“

“Was out of line. Usually though you would join him.” Arthur felt the heat in his face and shrugged. 

“It’s just that Merlin looked really uncomfortable.”

With a knowing smile Morgana crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe. 

“So, Merlin, huh? Should I expect to see more of him in the coming weeks?”

“Morgana, really, he’s just-“

“Don’t say nice or I’ll kick you. You like him. Or at least you are attracted to him.” Arthur couldn’t help the groan and wished he wouldn’t have stopped right by her door.

“Morgana _please_ stop it.” She sighed and turned back towards her door. 

“I just want you to be happy, yeah? If you think that Merlin’s the man for that, then I’ll be hundred percent behind you.”

“Jesus Christ, I don’t even know the man! For all I know he might be a total shallow douchebag.”

“Oh come on, as if.”

“I’m just saying, I think you’re making more of this than you should.” Once again she sighed and gave Arthur a pitying smile.

“Like I said, you don’t have to be defensive about. Just promise me that you'll give this a chance and see how things unfold.”

“I will. But I’ll spend some time at the club on Thursday and Friday, so it’s not like I’ll see any more of him this week anyways.”

Apparently satisfied with at least some assurance that Arthur would try to make this happen Morgana smiled and went back to bed. This time however Arthur didn’t stop, but quickly returned to his own room, his thoughts not quite being able to abandon the face of a certain blue-eyed someone.

 

\--- 

The bar was especially full as the weekend was quickly approaching and for once Merlin couldn’t wait to leave it behind, as soon as his shift ended. Will had called just around lunch to tell him that he had the night planned out and would pick him up at one so they could continue onto some new club that was apparently really great. Arthur hadn’t been here since two nights ago, which left Merlin relived and disappointed at the same time. Not that anything could actually happen between his probably straight and pratty boss, but still, somehow he found himself hoping that Arthur would be here tonight.

Instead, he was faced with a group of barely legal men who had booked the VIP table, obviously hoping to attract as many women as possible in the shortest amount of time available. They had barely registered Merlin as he served them, and at one point even had the nerve to ask for a female waitress. So yeah, tonight Merlin was more than ready to leave the bar behind.

His phone buzzed, and he picked it up, putting down his tray for what felt the first time in ages. 

“Yeah?”

“Hey, Merlin I’m nearly there, do you think you can come down a bit earlier?”

“Um, I’ll see okay? It’s really busy so I’m not sure I can leave yet.”

“Dude, it’s only like five more minutes.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah! Grab your stuff and get your ass down here!” Merlin laughed and tucked the phone between his ear and his shoulder.

“Just give me a minute and I’ll be down okay?”

“Sure thing, just hurry up.”

 

\--- 

The club was pounding with music, it was hot, dark and for the death of him, Merlin couldn’t see Will anywhere.

He knew it would be useless to call for him, so instead he steered towards the bar, hoping he’d have a better viewpoint from there, or at least be able to stand a chance at finding Will again. As Merlin’s eyes skittered over the crowed they caught onto Arthur again, who was leaning against the railing from the VIP section. A pretty blonde had latched onto him, her hands caressing his arms, while she was busy smiling seductively and flicking her hair back. Something that she said must have made him laugh, because for a moment his face lightened up with a smile.

Merlin was just about to turn his attention elsewhere, when their eyes met and Arthur’s smile slowly wilted away. Swallowing hard Merlin turned away and continued to look for Will instead, trying not to be affected by Arthur's obvious dislike.

 

With an annoyed and defeated sighed Merlin propped his elbows on the bar, to find a fresh glass standing in front of him, filled with something that looked remotely like a Caipirinha. Confused Merlin turned around, seeing a young and attractive guy standing behind him. He was leaning against the bar and winked and smiled once they made eye contact. Merlin supposed he was kind of hot and a distraction from Arthur was more than welcome around this time.

"Can I maybe invite you?" Even though he knew to be careful about accepting drinks from strangers, Merlin couldn’t imagine the guy wanting to harm him in any way. In fact Merlin was pretty sure that the guy would benefit more if Merlin was lucid and able to at least walk home with him.

For one moment Merlin glanced back at Arthur, who had at one point made his way downstairs and was holding the blonde’s hand, being led by her to the bar. For some reason annoyed and feeling slightly betrayed, Merlin smiled and thanked the man, taking the glass and downing a good portion of it. The guy opposite of him grinned and leaned closer to him. Merlin found that he didn’t mind too much, deciding that a bit of flirting had never hurt anybody.

"What's your name?" 

"I'm Merlin. And you?" 

"I'm Jack." They briefly shook hands and Jack smiled brightly. "I'm sorry if this was too forward but I've been seeing you a lot tonight and this was the first opportunity I had to get close to you." Merlin felt his face flush at the open admission and turned to look at his hands. "It was too forward, right?" Jack laughed nervously and his hands brushed over Merlin's wrist. Merlin shivered under the light touch, feeling light and airy. 

"It's okay." 

"Really?" They exchanged a long glance and Merlin was about to tell him yes when suddenly Arthur pushed between them. Jack made an indignant sound and tried to push Arthur away, but the blonde squeezed herself into the little space that was left. Merlin couldn't even bring himself to care about the other man, being faced with Arthur up close. 

Before, when only seeing each other from far away, they could easily ignore another. Now however Arthur was staring at him with his fucking big blue eyes, flushed cheeks and for once tousled hair. The blonde’s eyes were flickering between the two, obviously unsure of whether or not she should try to get back Arthur’s attention.

“Hey. I didn’t...I didn’t expect to see you here.” His smile seemed genuine and unsure and Merlin couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Yeah sorry, my friend wanted to check out this club; I swear I’m not stalking you or something.” He laughed at his own joke, but suddenly felt a little sick. Dizzy, Merlin turned back to the bar, hoping that he could just pick up his drink and pretend to be fine until Arthur left again. Jack seemed to have pissed off, but Merlin's thoughts were quickly taken off him again when Arthur leaned close with a wicked smile. 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t think you’d stalk a prat anyways.” Merlin twisted back to look at Arthur, trying to focus but for some reason everything kept slipping away. Trying to overplay his sudden dizziness Merlin laughed and shook his head. 

"That's true." His voice didn't quite sound the same and Merlin tightly held onto the bar. He wanted to add something snarky or witty, but his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. He barely felt the hand on his arm or heard the concerned question. Arthur's face kept getting blurry and the sounds just all seemed to become muffled in his ears. Feeling like Merlin had to throw up he attempted to step away, but his legs wouldn't support him anymore. The last thing he registered were arms catching him as Merlin fell into oblivon. 

 

When Arthur had seen Merlin at the club his feelings had been...mixed to say the least.

He was glad to see him, but only being able to watch from above as Merlin danced in the crowd, black tight shirt riding up and exposing only a small line of pale white skin, was more than unfair. But as much as he wanted to go downstairs and talk to him or even dance with him, Arthur didn’t want to make Merlin feel like he had to. And not like their last meeting had ended successfully. So instead of bowing to his wants Arthur kept the blonde entertained, who had latched herself onto his arm pretty much the moment he set foot into the VIP section. Her named was Vivienne and she was supposedly French, although Arthur was pretty sure that if he were to speak French to her, her skills would stop at ‘oui’.

“Do you want another drink?”

Vivienne’s accent laced voice was suddenly close to Arthur’s ear, making him flinch as he found himself staring at something downstairs. Or someone. Someone who was currently being chatted up by some slimy dude with a pervy smile. Angry Arthur pushed himself off the railing and forced a smile.

“Yes. A drink would be great.” She smiled and grabbed Arthur’s hand, pulling him towards the stairs.

“Let’s go to the bar and maybe afterwards, we can dance a little?”

Judging by the way her voice went all husky and suggestive within a second, he was pretty sure she meant more than dancing. But it was all well by him, because this gave Arthur the perfect opportunity to accidentally bump into Merlin and to get rid of that other man.

 

It was even warmer downstairs but he mood was great, the alcohol was flowing and the dance floor filled to full capacity. Arthur let himself be guided through the people who seemed to have left all sense of propriety or shame at the door, and where now closely pressed to anyone who offered. Vivienne however seemed unfazed by the mass, expertly finding gaps here and there, pulling Arthur behind her. Once they got close to where Merlin was standing Arthur took over control and pushed himself between the two men, completely ignoring the other man's swears and complaints.

“Hey. I didn’t...I didn’t expect to see you here.” Arthur smiled, trying to make sure that Merlin knew he was perfectly fine with seeing him here. The chuckle, with which Merlin returned the greeting sounded genuine and Merlin grinned a little sheepishly as he nodded.

“Yeah sorry, my friend wanted to check out this club; I swear I’m not stalking you or something.”

Arthur joined Merlin’s laughter, pretty much having forgotten about Vivienne who was subtly tugging at his hand. Not willing to let this chance slip by he pulled free of her grip, and stowed both his hands safely away in his pocket. Meanwhile Merlin had turned away to grab for his drink, and even in the odd mix of bright, white light and the darkness of the dance floor he could see that his hand was shaking a little. Worried, but not wanting to make a scene Arthur put on a smirk and leaned a little closer.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t think you’d stalk a prat anyways.” The reaction wasn’t quite what he expected, watching as Merlin turned around in an unsure move. His eyes seemed to focus and distance again but he still managed a weak laugh. 

"That's true." Arthur frowned at his distracted tone even as Merlin opened his mouth no sound escaped.

Arthur knew that something was extremely wrong even before Merlin’s eyes widened with fear and shock, a second before his knees gave away beneath him. Prepared, Arthur lunched forward, grabbing hold of Merlin’s skinny torso just under his arms, then carefully pulling him up to sling one arm over his shoulder. Some of the surrounding people were beginning to whisper and exchange alarmed looks, but Arthur only smiled it off. 

“Had a little bit too much to drink, huh?” When some of the attention diverted he turned to Jack, one of the bartenders and waved him closer.

“Which one was his glass?”

“This one, sir.” Arthur glanced at the longdrink and nodded.

“Make sure that it stays untouched, I want to find out what it was spiked with, you get it? I’ll get him to a doctor. Vivienne!”

The blonde girl flinched at his sharp voice and for once stayed quiet. “Go up and get Lance, you know, good-looking guy, curly hair, your friend was talking to him earlier.” She nodded eagerly and was about to leave when Arthur stopped her again. “Tell him to hurry up and meet in the car outside.” A moment later she was off, while Arthur more or less carried Merlin towards the staff exit, where he was immediately met by Percival.

“Sir, are you all right?”

“I am, but he isn’t. Get the car, Lance is meeting us in a second.”

Percy nodded, and Arthur managed to get his phone out of his pocket without dropping Merlin. He speed-dialled Morgana, who picked up after the fourth ring.

“You better have a damn good reason for calling me at four in the morning.”

“I do. Someone drugged Merlin at the club; I’m coming home in about ten minutes. Can you prepare the guest room and make sure a doctor is ready as soon as we arrive?”

“I really want to know why on earth Merlin was at the club, but I suppose you’ll tell me all about it once we know he’ll be fine. Besides that, the bed I can do but I’m not sure about the doctor. You know Gaius retired and I don’t know where he lives know.”

“Damn...Can you at least try to call him up?”

“Arthur he’s an old man, we really shouldn’t bother him at this time of the night.”

“Morgana _please._ ” She sighed, but at that moment he knew that she would do all she could. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. You owe me Arthur and I expect you to repay me by telling me all about it.”

“I promise.” He hung up, and only a moment later Lance came rushing out of the club, spotted him and Merlin and began cursing quite opposed to his character.

“Is he alright?” Without hesitation Lance slung Merlin’s other arm over his shoulder and helped Arthur carry him to the street where Percy was parking the car.

“I hope so. Morgana is trying to get Gaius and Percy will get us home; you’ll just have to sleep over.”

“I don’t mind, I didn’t drink anyways so I can just take my car home from yours. Merlin needs the guest bed more than I do anyways.” Normally Arthur would have tried to crack a joke, but the Merlin’s pale face and shallow breathing was increasingly disconcerting.

“Shit. Well this is definitely not how I imagine this night to end.”

 

“True, although I guess it’s one way of getting him to go home with you.” Lance smiled when he saw Arthur trying to stutter an excuse. “I’m not stupid Arthur, and I’ve known you for a long time. So has Leon and Gwaine and Percy and even Elyan, okay? We’re all behind you on this.”

“Thanks. But right now, I really have other things on my mind.”

“Right now you might, but tomorrow, when Merlin wakes up and is all right, you might not.”

 

\--- 

Gaius arrived about twenty minutes after Arthur had put Merlin to bed, still pale and motionless. There had been a bit of awkward attempts at explaining what had happened, until Gaius had seen his patient and things got even more awkward as it turned out that he was Merlin’s uncle.

"Is he going to be all right?" 

"He's burning up." Gaius sat down besides Merlin, checked his pulse and his pupils and sighed. He was about to start packing up his things, when Arthur grabbed his arm.

"Gaius please...is Merlin okay?" 

Gaius squinted and frowned at him, his bushy brows pulling together impressively. Arthur couldn't help but clear his throat and let go of Gaius' arm uncomfortably. 

"Let him sleep and the fever will go down by itself, I should think. Tomorrow morning when he wakes up make sure he drinks some water and some broth if he is hungry, but he should probably stay away from greasy food for a while." 

Arthur nodded relieved and rubbed his hands over his face. 

"Thank you Gaius, I really appreciate that you came despite the time." 

"You should boy. Merlin is stubborn so make sure to doesn't go to uni tomorrow, you got that? And have him call me immediately." 

"Of course." 

Gaius nodded solemnly and after Arthur had to assure him about thirty times that he only wanted to help Merlin and that Merlin would be fine and safe in his care, Gaius was brought home by Percy and Arthur had what seemed like the first quiet moment since ages.

“What did Gaius say?” Arthur turned a little to see Morgana entered the room, looking tired and concerned.

“Besides what he would do if I was to hurt his nephew?”

Morgana huffed and stepped closer. “He’ll be fine, if hungover tomorrow. I’ll go to the club sometime around lunch, take a test from the drink Merlin had and go over the security tape, maybe we can see who spiked the drink.”

“Shouldn’t you wait for Merlin to be awake?” Arthur looked down at the sleeping man with a sigh and shook his head. 

“I want to make sure this get’s sorted out as soon as possible without possible causing a PR uproar. The club is new enough that bad publicity could be its downfall, especially if the police get involved. Also I think all that Merlin really needs right now is sleep.”

They shared a small moment of silence, in which Morgana sighed quietly.

“He really is something different.”

“He sure is.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter and I feel bad for posting but this is the best I could do at the moment :'( the next will be posted sooner (I know I said that last time) I swear, and I'll try harder!!  
> If anyone of you guys is taking IB you'll know what I'm going through because school is brutal and deadlines are killing me D:  
> BUT I don't want to let you down so I'll work harder!  
> Hope you enjoy this anyways,  
> love you xx

Merlin blinked sleepily and groaned against the light that fell through the window.

Why on bloody earth did it have to be so bright? He turned around and buried his face in the pillow, wondering what he must have drunk last night to feel so positively shite right now. 

...

as the memories slowly came back to his mind, Merlin felt the panic rising up in him. Twisting back around he inspected the large room, the big bed, the open door that seemed to lead to a bathroom - In shock he sat up rapidly.

“Oh no.” Merlin scrambled out of bed, the blanket tangling with his legs, and ran to the bathroom as quick as he could. Not a moment too late, before he was revisiting yesterday’s meals.

Feeling even worse than before, Merlin sat back on his heels, then slowly onto his butt and groaned in self-pity. He had no idea where he was, and what he did remember from last night was fuzzy or non-existence. The last thing he remembered was the drink that he had gotten from the guy across the bar, and then how he had talked to Arthur.

Bloody hell.

Had he really fainted into Arthur’s arms? Had he puked? Please lord; make sure he didn’t puke all over his fecking handsome boss.

With a pitiful sob Merlin pushed himself up and washed his mouth and face with some water, trying to wake him up enough to be able to keep up with what was going on in his head. A glance in the mirror confirmed his worries that he looked absolutely horrible, his hair sticking off in all directions, his face pale and his eyes bloodshot. Wow, he really was a stunner.

Merlin returned to the room, intent of leaving, possibly without being noticed and making things worse for himself. It took him a moment to find his phone, shoes and shirt, which had all been neatly placed on a chair besides the bed. The thought that Arthur had seen him not only unconscious, but possibly undressed him made him hot and uncomfortable in quite a number of different places.

Pushing most of them out of his head, Merlin decided that he was about as presentable as he ever would be today and quietly left the bedroom.

The hallway was huge and intimidating, with long heavy drapes on the tall windows, and an assortment of semi-creepy family portraits along the wall. Clearing his throat and trying to not feel like a douche sneaking away from a one-night stand, not that Merlin was particularly familiar with that feeling of course, he turned right, hoping that it would at some point lead to the exit.

 

* * *

 

 

He was wrong. He should have taken the left way.

After what felt like at least half an hour, Merlin was still wandering the hallways of what appeared to be the Pendragon residence. So far he hadn’t seen anyone that he could talk to, and despite feeling horrible, Merlin was also starting feel hungry at the same time. He stopped short, looked around and whimpered at what a bitch fate was being.

 

\---

 

“Any news from Merlin?” Morgana shook her head and sighed.

“I told Cara to check in on him every now and then, but when she last went in he was still asleep.” When she saw Arthur’s frown she smiled and bumped into his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Gaius said he would be all right, so I’m sure he will be. If you insist we can stop by now?”

“Uther wanted to talk to me about something, and I told him I’d see him once I get back from the club.”

“He doesn’t have to know you’re already here.” Arthur smirked.

“I knew I liked you for some reason. How are things with Leon?” Her smile vanished and she only sighed. 

“He’s being just as childish as ever. I don’t think Uther would ever fire him for being with me, not when he’s just been promoted to be the manager.”

“True, though I’m sure some of the colleagues will gossip about him only getting the promotion through you.”

“Have they met Uther? There is no way he would do that, especially not for me.” Arthur rolled his eyes and grinned.

“For you more than for anyone else.” Morgana shrugged and was about to reply, when they walked around the corner and nearly bumped into someone standing there.

“Sorry!” Merlin stumbled back, his eyes wide. His dark hair was mussed up, and his face still pale, but at least he looked livelier than the last time Arthur had seen him.

“You’re alive.”

“No, this is my ghost coming back to haunt you.” He smiled, and Arthur couldn’t help but grin back.

“Glad to see you’re feeling better. Should you already be up? Gaius said that you should rest and take it slow for today.”

“I’m- Gaius? As in my _uncle_ Gaius??” If possible, his face paled even further.

“Yeah, Gaius was our doctor until he retired. We called him last night to look after you, but we didn’t know that you're related. Is everything okay?” Merlin shook his head and sighed. 

“My mother will never shut up about this. But thanks, for looking after me.”

“My pride and upbringing wouldn’t have allowed me to leave you behind, when you make such an impressive damsel in distress.”

“I am not a damsel in distress, if you please.”

“You quite literally fainted when you saw me.”

“Yeah! But not _because_ I saw you, you dollophead! That is a difference worthy of being noted!” As Merlin kept talking himself more into a fit, Arthur couldn’t help laughing. “Now he’s _laughing_ at me!” He sighed with expiration and turned to Morgana. “Morgana, you are related to a madman.” She grinned and patted Arthur’s shoulder.

“Nothing I didn’t know before Merlin, trust me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> small inspo gif for the waking up scene:
> 
> https://31.media.tumblr.com/8b7d5432a3a4e99cf60ea91423ae6300/tumblr_n7x9ykkamq1sk69ewo2_500.gif


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tada! It's a bit longer at least and again, sorry for the wait! Hope you enjoy :)

Morgana excused herself with a slight smirk, leaving the men behind in an awkward silence.

“How’s the headache?” Arthur asked, clearly avoiding looking directly at Merlin.

“Um, tolerable. What exactly happened? I don’t remember much of it.” His large ears turned slightly pink as he asked, making them stand out even stronger.

“Oh you mean before you fainted into my arms?”

Merlin opened his mouth to correct him, but Arthur only continued with a grin.

“You took a drink, someone must have put something in it. I’ve already been to the club, we’re making sure that the guy who order you the drink isn’t allowed back in.”

“Oh, okay that’s good I guess. He said his name was Jack, but it's probably a false name. I'm sorry for causing so much trouble.”

“Of course not. It happened in my club, so I feel responsible to make sure this doesn’t happen again.” Merlin cocked his head, his big eyes studied on Arthur’s face. Uncomfortable under the scrutiny of his blue eyes Arthur looked away.

“Um. Do you need a ride home?”

“What? Sorry, right, I don’t want to be holding you up. But it’s okay, I can just call a cab.”

Arthur only raised his brow.

“What?”

“Do you have money?”

“Well, no but-“

“Then I’ll drive you. I can just set you off on my way to the club.”

“Thanks…that’d be nice.”

\---

“So… This is where you live?” Arthur stopped in front of the shabby apartment building and Merlin felt the heat shoot to his ears.

“Yeah. It’s really not as bad inside.”

“Sure, bigger from the inside and all that, huh? Let me bring you upstairs.”

“That’s really not necessary.”

“Merlin, stop arguing and get your arse moving, I’m trying to be polite.” Merlin laughed at Arthur's growl and got out of the car.

“You really should stop; it doesn’t suit you.”

“Hey! I dragged your arse out of that club now, didn’t I?” Merlin just continued laughing and tilted his head playfully.

“What’s up with your sudden obsession with my arse? I mean I know it’s nice but-” For that he only received a slap on the head and Merlin was about to unlock the door when it was pulled open from inside. “Will-“

A second later he was quite forcefully pulled against Will’s chest and just as quickly pushed away to undergo an examination.

“Are you okay? What happened? Why the hell did you just sneak off with some guy, I was worried! And why didn’t you-“

“Will!” Will stopped and frowned. “Breathe goddammit.” His mouth opened, but closed again as soon as his eyes caught onto Arthur.

“Who’s that?”

Merlin blinked perplexed and then remember that Arthur was still standing next to him, looking equally confused and apparently revolted by Will’s semi-naked appearance.

“Oh, uh, Will this is Arthur Pendragon, Arthur this is my friend Will, he’s visiting for the weekend.” Arthur smiled a little tensely and nodded, while Merlin couldn’t hold back a laugh when he saw Will’s returning glare.

“So this is the man I can thank for you leaving me stranded in the club?” His eyes narrowed and Merlin sighed.

“No, this is the man you can thank for getting me home safe after someone spiked my drink. By the way, did Gaius call?” Completely ignoring the second part, Will just stared at Merlin in shock.

“What? What happened?”

“After you apparently left Merlin alone, someone took advantage and put something in his drink. You were lucky I was there.”

“Oh excuse me, because it’s totally my fault if I loose him in the crowd.”

“I’m just saying, that if perhaps you would have paid a little more attention to your friend, this could have been avoided.”

“You know what you big asshole, Merlin’s been my friend for over twenty years, now don’t go off, telling me what to do!”

“And what a great friend you are! God knows what could have happened if I hadn’t been there to help!”

“Yes go ahead and make this all about you, why don’t you!”

“Guys!”

They had progressively come closer to each other, now standing face to face with their hands raised and fingers pointing. As soon as they heard Merlin’s voice they both turned and glared at him.

“What?!” They asked in perfect synch, only to glare some more at each other because of it.

Arthur was the first one to step away, straightening his jacket and lifting his chin. William tried to imitate him, only to realize that he wasn’t wearing a shirt to straighten and cleared his throat instead.

“Merlin come on up. To answer your question; Gaius did call but I was too late to pick up.” With that he turned away, stomping up the stairs and leaving two quiet men behind.

“I’m sorry for that.” There was another long pause before Arthur let out a long breath.

“I suppose I should apologize for overreacting as well."

“No, no I get it. Will usually isn’t like this at all, I swear. He’s probably just tired or something to get so…defensive.” Arthur nodded slowly and tilted his head slightly.

“I suppose after twenty years of friendship he has a right to be, considering I could just be some stranger.” Which he was technically, but Arthur just hoped Merlin wouldn't point him out for it. 

“Ah, yeah I guess he does. We grew up together in Ealdor; it’s a small town outside of London with lots of fields around it, lots of cows. We’re like brothers, Will and I.”

“Ealdor sounds nice.” Merlin grinned.

“You’d hate it.”

“Probably.”

Arthur shamelessly agreed and returned the grin. After a moment he sobered up. “Then why did you leave?”

“Things just…changed.”

“How?” Merlin looked away and tried to find the right words. “Oh come on, stop trying to be mysterious and tell me.”

“I just didn’t fit in anymore. I wanted to find somewhere that I did.”

“Had any luck?” Their eyes met and Merlin felt the heat rise to his cheeks.

“Not sure yet.”

“Merlin!” They both craned their necks to look up at the window, out of which Will’s head was coming out. “It’s Gaius on the phone again!”

“Well, I suppose that’s enough of a hint. You should probably rest a little more. Gaius told me to tell you not to go to uni.”

“It would probably give me more of a break than staying home with these people as my family.” He grinned lopsidedly and walked through the door.

Before closing it he turned around again and smiled. “Thanks by the way, you know, for helping me. Although you’re still a prat.”

“Of course I am.”

Arthur raised his hand in a wave-like gestured before getting back into his care and driving off, leaving Merlin behind staring.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here is another chapter, hope you enjoy :)

“Stop glaring and speak your mind.”

“I don’t like him.” Will crossed his arms and stared Merlin down, who sat down on his favourite chair with a sigh.

“You don’t have to.”

“So what, does that mean you do?” Merlin groaned in annoyance and got up again, walking past Will to the kitchen to get a glass of water.

“He’s my boss Will, okay? And he helped and is polite. That doesn’t mean I like him.”

“But it also doesn’t mean that you don’t.”

“Look, when I first met Arthur I also thought he was a pompous and arrogant arse.”

“So what changed?”

“You know, when he’s not being a total prat he can actually be kind of nice.”

“Is that so? So he knows your secret then?”

“What? No, obviously not, we’ve just met and it’s not something I tell everyone first thing when I see them: ‘Pleasure to meet you, I’m Merlin and I can do magic. Now don’t worry, I’m not crazy, I’m just a little bit unique.’”

Merlin rolled his eyes and turned away.

“Look, face it, Merlin you’re living a lie. Just like you were back home. You’re his employee nothing more. Otherwise you’d tell him the truth.” Merlin turned back around to face Will, glaring, his magic sizzling under his skin, begging to be let out.

“Goddammit Will, what do you want from me? All my life you, my mom and Gaius have been preaching that I should never tell anyone, that it’s too dangerous, that they would think I’m off my nut! Why the fuck are you blaming me now for not telling him right away?” 

“I’m just looking out for you!”

“Well I don’t fucking need you to, okay?” They stared at each other in silence before Merlin sighed and turned away. “I’m sorry for that. I’m just tired…”

“It’s okay.” Will looked away, fidgeted with the ties on his sweats before looking back up. “I overreacted as well... My train goes in three hours. Let’s not fight, okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

 

\--- 

The mood had lightened but was still a little tense, their little outbreak before forgiven but not yet forgotten. Will heaved his bag into the train and smiled.

“Ealdor’s been boring without you. It was good to see you again.”

“Yeah you too.”

“Come visit some time soon?”

“Of course, as soon as I have my first batch of exams written.”

“And when are those?”

“Soon, the first once start right the beginning of January.”

“Seriously? Three more months until I get to see your face around town again?” Merlin grinned a little guiltily.

“I’ll probably come by sooner for a weekend or something. I don’t think my mom would forgive me anything else.” Will chuckled and gave Merlin a clap on the shoulder. 

“See you around Merls.”

 

Once Will’s train was out of the train station Merlin finally dialed Gaius. 

“Merlin? Thank god, are you alright?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“How do you think I felt when I was called in, in the middle of night, and find my nephew half-dead in the house Arthur Pendragon?”

“Uh…surprised?”

“Surprised? You, my boy, are going to give me an aneurism. But let’s forget about that; I have found you an instructor.”

“What?”

“An old friend of mine, he was just released and has moved back in in London.”

“Released from where…prison?” 

“Well where do you think he was released from, obviously prison.”

“And why exactly did he get thrown into prison if I dare ask?”

“I believe he attempted to murder Uther Pendragon.”

“What?!” Gaius sighed and Merlin looked around alarmed.

“It’s a long story but don’t worry, he is a good enough man, there is just a small feud between the men. Now back to my initial point – he’s willing to tutor you while you are away from home.”

“Tutor me in what…magic?” Merlin whispered and glanced around again suspiciously, but no one was paying him any attention.

“Dear lord, is that drug still working and clouding your brain? Yes, magic!”

“Oh.”

“His name is Kilgarrah, I’ll send you his address. Now there is something you must know about Kilgarrah; he is a very old being, trapped in a human body so do not underestimate his strength or knowledge.”

“A very old being?”

“A dragon, to be precise.”

“Oh lord. Anything else I have to know? I don’t know, bring a fire extinguisher or something?” He could hear Gaius sigh in annoyance and grinned. “Sorry.”

“Just stay aware when you’re around him, he might not be too dangerous, but he’s also not exactly…safe.”

“I’ll keep an eye out.”

“Alright, it’s good to hear from you boy. Make sure to meet him as soon as possible.”

“You too, say hi to mom from me.”

“I will.”

 

\--- 

Merlin looked down on his phone and up at the small brown house again.

Apparently this was where Kilgharrah lived, although Merlin had expected something more…impressive from a millennia old dragon. Taking a deep breath and stomping down his doubts Merlin rang the bell. An old man opened the door and leaned against the doorframe, his eyes and mouth framed with deep wrinkles and his apparently once black hair nearly full exchanged for silvery-grey.

“Such a small man, for such a great destiny. You haven’t changed at all, young warlock.”

Merlin frowned and glanced around, wondering whom the old man was talking to. Puffing on his cigar he rolled his eyes and stepped back.

“And apparently your perceptive skills are just as sharp. Come in Merlin, we have a lot to talk about.”

 

Still not sure about what had just happened Merlin stepped out of the house about two hours later, tired and confused. Pulling his phone out of his pocket he called Gaius for the second time today, hoping he was home to pick up the phone.  

“This is more than I’ve heard from you in a month.”

“Gaius, that man is crazy.”

“Who exactly would that be?”

“You know whom I’m talking about! Kilgharrah!”

“Now I wouldn’t say he’s crazy, per se.”

“Oh I think a man who talks about resurrection, destiny and kingdoms qualifies as completely off his nut!” Gaius chuckled, which only made Merlin more frustrated than he already was.

“He will be able to help though so you should be grateful for it Merlin.”

“Yeah yeah I am grateful, all right. I’m hanging up now, I really have to sleep some more or I won’t survive tomorrow.”

“Busy day?”

“Ah, well you know, the usually. A lecture in the morning and one in the afternoon and then my usual shift at ten.”

“All right boy, I won’t hold you back any longer. Just stick with your studies of both the magical and non-magical kind and you’ll be fine.”

“Thanks Gaius.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a small little something before something bigger happens...let me tell you there might be a small change of scenery but I wouldn't want to leak anything beforehand so just stay tuned for the next chapter and enjoy!

Gwen’s eyes kept trailing over to the table where Arthur and his round were sitting as usual. Merlin frowned, filled his tray and then sighed. 

“If you look over one more time, I swear to god-”

“I’m not looking over!”

“Oh you’re not? But you did know exactly what I was talking about, didn’t you?”

“Don’t be an asshole.” Merlin laughed openly at Gwen and shook his head.

“Sure thing. Why don’t you just take over the table? I’ve been there often enough, I’m sure Lance will appreciate your…services.” The towel hit him square against the head even before he could see it coming, but Merlin only laughed harder.

“Idiot. But fine, I’ll go over, are you happy then.”

“Yes.” He glanced over, caught Arthur’s eyes and quickly looked away again. Yeah, maybe it really was better for Gwen to take over the table.

 

 

Merlin’s eyes skittered away after a small halt, but instead of coming their direction he turned away and headed to another table. In his place his friend walked towards them, obviously nervous if her smile was any indication. Arthur couldn’t help but frown as he watched her put down the glasses, coming around the table to hand Lance his. He looked up with big eyes and a flushed face, and Arthur exchanged knowing looks with Leon who was only grinning back. 

“Thank you…that is…this is very kind of you, er…” His voice trailed off and the girl only smiled shyly.

“Gwen.”

“Gwen.”

“Short for Guinevere.”

“Ah. Then thank you, Guinevere.” Gwen nodded and quickly retreated, nearly bumping into one of her colleague while she was at it.

Gwaine ginned broadly and stared at Lance until he couldn’t bare it anymore.

“What is it? Do I have anything on my face?”

“Oh no, not at all, nothing but that sappy huge smile of yours!” Laughing, Gwaine lunged over the table and slapped Lance's arm hard, but Lance only rubbed the stop, blushing.

“She’s nice, that’s all.”

“She’s _nice_ then, huh? Have you met already?”

“Well no. Not really. I mean I’ve bumped into her at Elyan’s before but we haven’t talked before tonight.”

Elyan smiled but it was obvious that he didn’t want to get involved when his sister was the topic of conversation.

“Aw isn’t that cute our little Lancey boy all grown up and in love.” Percy laughed at Gwaine’s comment and slung one of his muscular arms around Lance.

“Don’t listen to him Lance, he’s just being a proper nitwit.”

“Oi! No need to be rude about it.”

“Coming out of your mouth, that’s pretty grand.” Arthur sighed at their mindless banter and zoned off. Why the hell hadn’t Merlin come over to their table? Had he said anything wrong when they last saw each other?

“Princess, snap out of it!” Gwaine was snapping at his face and Arthur responded with his worthiest glare.

“What?”

“What are you being so dull for? Aren’t you happy for Lance?” Leon just grinned and lightly bumped against Gwaine’s shoulder as he leaned in confidentially.

“I think he’s just pissed about loosing his favourite waiter.” 

“His fav- ahh, I get it. Should I call him over?”

“No, Gwaine, don’t you dare, I will fucki-“

“Merlin!” While Arthur was busy smothering Gwaine, Percy had extracted his arm from Lance's shoulder and started waving. The others began laughing manically, as Arthur could only stare petrified, as guests turned around to see who was being called.

At the other side of the floor filled with tables Merlin raised his head questioningly, looking for whoever had screamed out his name. When he saw Percy waving at him, a smile crossed his face as he finished serving the table and came over.

“Yeah?”

“Now that’s no nice way to greet us, is it?” Gwaine grinned and leaned forward. 

“Do you need another whiskey glass?”

“Not really, my pants took ages to dry.”

“I’m surprised they do at all.” Elyan barked out a surprised laugh while Percy threw himself over the couch at Gwaine laughing, who stared in seeming awe at having found someone who could respond to his teasing just as well.

“I like you Merlin.” Merlin smiled smugly and turned to look at them all. 

“Thanks. So what can I get you lot?”

“Nothing much, Gwen was nice enough to bring us our order. You see it’s just that Arthur here felt a bit neglected.”

“Did he now?”

“Yeah, can’t you see it in his eyes?” Merlin’s blue gaze pinpointed Arthur, who was trying to avoid eye contact at any chance, ashamed more than anything.

“Seems fine to me.”

“I’m sure he does.” Now it was Merlin’s turn to blush but he seemed to regain his control quick enough, although the smile wouldn’t quite fade. 

“So, uh, how was your weekend?” Lance smiled politely, obviously trying to be a good lad and help Merlin out of embarrassment. Curious as what he was going to say Arthur looked at Merlin and raised his brows. With a knowing smile Merlin made returned the looked and shrugged.

“It was okay.”

“Nothing interesting happen?” Arthur leaned back and crossed his leg while Merlin’s grin only widened.

“Nope. Rather dab, really.”

“Probably was still better than mine then. You see I had to entertain this idiot who got himself drunk at the club.” Lance, who had been there to drag Merlin’s out of the club looked up surprised, but didn’t say anything.

“Well in your presence, what else should a lad do?”

“Oh a lot, sometimes they even…faint.”

“Struck by your arrogance then?”

“No, generally it’s more awe and longing.”

“Has anyone ever told you you’re a prat?” 

“Besides you? No one.”

“They’re probably just scared you’ll get them sacked or something.”

“Oh please, they are just able to see the true me and appreciate me for what I am. Not everyone is so jealous of me Merlin, that they have to insult me.” Merlin huffed, shaking his head.

“Clotpole.”

“Clotpole? Is that even a word?”

“Oh yeah, it’s in the dictionary. It even has a picture of you as definition.”

“Jesus that was an old one Merlin, have you got nothing better to offer?”

“Not sure you could handle it.” 

“Really? Try me then.” There was a silence and Arthur felt the sense of déjà vu, as they seemed to relive their first meeting. The silence stretched on and while Arthur and Merlin maintained their eye contact, the others began getting uncomfortable. Finally Gwaine broke the silence, clearing his throat and looking around the group.

“Well. That was interesting. I might even need another drink after that. Merlin, a whiskey?” Merlin looked at Gwaine and back at Arthur and raised a brow, both of them having slightly flushed cheeks. 

"Anything else then? Or was that it?"

"That's it for now, sorry for calling you over." Lance smiled, which Merlin returned, before turning around and leaving Arthur behind speechless once again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here you go guys, another chapter and a longer one at that! Hope you enjoy, and tell me what you think about how things are progressing in the comments please, I'd love to know what you think so far :)

Merlin drudged up the stairs to his apartment feeling drained and frustrated. It was the first time in two days that he actually made it home, after having pretty much camped out in the library to study or stayed at a friend’s house after falling asleep there. After studying.

The past week had been mostly horrible, things after  his small encounter with Arthur only going downwards.

Uni was toughening up, his professors were all heaping on more essays that he had to write but hadn’t even started yet , his exams were coming closer, Gaius was insisting on him studying magic besides it all and Merlin still spent most of his evenings at the Dragon’s Den waiting tables and studying during his breaks and afterwards. To say that he was close to his breaking point was putting it mildly.

Without paying much attention Merlin fumbled for his keys and was about to go in when he saw the note on his door.

“What the hell…”

_Dear tenants,_

_due to a leak that has lead to fungi and damage to the tapestries and floors, everyone is asked to evacuate the building for at least the next month. You are given three days to gather your belongings, so that technicians can begin fixing and assessing the damage done to the apartments. All damaged personal belongings have to be photographed and written down to ensure consolidation. I ask for your understanding and full cooperation._

_Thank you and apologies for the inconvenience,_

_Mr James Harvey_

Merlin went over the letter two more times, before realizing that this meant he had barely one day to get out and find a day to stay.

Holding back the tears or whatever was about to spill out, Merlin turned to knock at his neighbours’ doors. Two of them had apparently already left, while the others were just as lost as Merlin was. They did ensure however that this wasn’t a bad joke but Merlin actually had to leave.

“Shit…” He pushed open the door and looked around with a sigh. Apparently the lower apartments had been affected the worst, but even Merlin could smell the damp. “Right.”

Making sure the door was closed Merlin grabbed a duffel bag, threw it on his bed and began gathering his stuff with the help of his magic. When the majority of his clothes and necessities were stuffed into the bag, Merlin packed all his books, which turned out to be a much bigger struggle than expected, but they were the ones in the most danger of being ruined by mould or the damp. So all of that was stuffed into another bag, lastly leaving him with his furniture. With another quick series of spells he moved his desk, chair, cupboard and bed all together to expose the walls, and turned around with a sigh. Who on earth could he call? Going to stay with his mom wasn’t an option since he didn’t have a car to drive out to his lectures in the morning. Most of his friends from uni lived in equally small apartments or were already sharing, so he didn’t want to intrude on them.

Making up his mind about a victim to house him Merlin locked the door and carried his two bags, obviously completely without magic, down to the tube.

\---

The duffel bag weighed heavily on his shoulder and the other bag was lying next to him, while Merlin looked around nervously when no one answered. He rang the bell again and heard some swearing from inside, followed by a loud thump, before the door was pulled open.

"Hi Gw- Oh. Lance?" Only wearing briefs and a shirt Lance blinked before blushing vigorously.

"Merlin!" From behind came steps and Gwen, wearing shorts and a top, joined them. Upon seeing Merlin she squeaked in embarrassment. Merlin cleared his throat and avoided eye contact.

"Hi. Um, this is awkward. Sorry this was stupid, I didn't want to interrupt." With his face burning he turned away but was held back by Gwen’s hand.

"No Merlin, wait. What's going on?"

"There was a leak in my building and now the walls and everything is wet so we all had to evacuate. I was wondering whether I could stay until I found something else but I, uh, don’t want to disturb you guys."

"Oh god... I guess you could stay? I mean there's barely any space but maybe-"

"No no it's fine really, I don't want to butt in. I can just check into a hotel or something, maybe hunt down a friend from uni."

"Are you sure?" Gwen looked hardly convinced and Lance was also frowning. Then he smiled slowly.

"I think I know a friend you could stay with."

"Really? It's already late so I don't want you to wake them up. Also it’s not like they know me or anything."

"Don't worry about it, he'll be up and working like always anyways. Just give me a second."

"Thanks." Lance turned away to get his phone with a nod, and Merlin heard him talk quietly to someone. Gwen looked around uncomfortable before sighing, as if accepting that this situation was happening and she couldn't change that fact anyways.

"Come on in, I'll make you a tea or something while we wait." Merlin nodded and followed her into the room, dragging his bags behind him. While he was still waiting for the tea to seep Lance already came back out smiling.

“He’s fine with taking you in for a while.”

“Really? Are you sure?” 

“Yeah of course. He’s not home right now but he said that he’d tell the concierge to let you in.”

“The…the concierge. Does he live in a hotel?” Lance frowned and shook his head. 

“What? No, he lives in an apartment; it’s big enough for two. I'm pretty sure it has a guest room as well I think... right yeah, of course it does.”

“Oh. Oh okay. Um. Can I take the tube to his place? Or better call a cab.”

“Are you sure I shouldn’t drive you with all your bags? And it’s safer than taking the tube this late at night.” Merlin just shrugged but then shook his head when he saw Gwen’s look.

“I’ll be fine, I made it here after all.”

“Right. I’ll send you the address to your phone okay? You'll have to get out at St. John's Wood and walk for a bit though. Let’s just exchange numbers, then you can call me in case anything is wrong or you get lost or something like that.”

“Thanks I really appreciate it. I’m just glad to have a place to stay.”

 

\---

Merlin stood in front of the apartment complex and swallowed hard. Once again he felt painfully aware of his ratty sweater and his old jeans and his undoubtedly uncombed hair. Taking a deep breath Merlin walked through the automatic door and up to the reception, behind which an elderly and angry looking man was standing. He had pinched brows and a thin face, and looked down at Merlin as if he was a stray dog dripping with mud.

“May I help you sir?”

“Uh yeah, sorry um, I uh-“ The brow that was slowly drawn up stopped Merlin’s stuttering and made him swallow hard. “I’m staying with someone here? He said he’d tell you that I’d be coming.”

“Ah yes, Mr Pendragon informed me of your arrival.” Mr Pendragon?! “Here is the key card. Avoid having it touch your phone or another card if possible. Mr Pendragon’s apartment is on the fifth floor.”

“Right. Thanks.” Merlin took the key and looked around, clueless. The man seemed to barely withhold from rolling his eyes and gestured to the left.

“The elevator, sir.”

“Uh- yes. Right. Thank you. Again, um.” Clearing his throat Merlin picked up his bag and hurried to the elevator, feeling the concierge’s eyes on him at all times.

 

The apartment was…painfully gorgeous.

Most of the walls were big windows, the view looking out onto the London Eye and the park. There was a big white couch in the middle of the relatively minimally furnished living room, if one could call it that. It went seamlessly into a huge kitchen corner with a bar and high stools surrounding it.

Merlin turned around breathlessly and strolled past it towards the stairs, guessing that the guest room would be on the second floor of the apartment.

So this is where Arthur lived when he wasn’t staying in his parents’ home. It was luxurious to say the least, with a clean and white furnishing, but it would probably still look welcoming to anyone who wasn’t feeling so desperately out of place.

Merlin went upstairs and looked into the rooms, finding two amazing bathrooms, a huge bedroom, which he assumed was Arthur’s since it had clothes and books and things lying around, a room that looked like a study and lastly a second bedroom that was apparently the guest room. The cupboards were empty and the bed freshly done, so Merlin decided that this must be it. Not feeling comfortable enough to unpack, Merlin carefully put down his bags in front of the white carpet and took off his shoes as well. He _really_ didn’t want to get dirt on that carpet and possibly having to pay for the cleaning.

With an overwhelmed sigh Merlin grabbed his things out of his bag and headed for the second bathroom and got ready, since he saw no point in waiting for Arthur if he wasn’t here yet.

 

 ---

When Lance had called him to ask if a friend of him could crash at his place, he had been more than a little wary. Arthur took great pride in his apartment and having a stranger stay in it really wasn’t the way he liked it to be. Nevertheless it was rare that Lance asked for favours at all, so of course he had agreed, partially also because he assured Arthur that it was a good lad who was staying with him.

Now that Arthur came back at three in the morning he really wished he hadn’t said yes, and could just go back to bed. Walking in to the reception area Mr Jordan looked up and smiled coldly.

“Mr Pendragon, good morning.”

“Morning Mr Jordan. Do you have my key?”

“Yes sir. Your guest arrived earlier.”

“Ah right. What do you think of him?” The way his nose scrunched up in distaste showed all Arthur had to know and he sighed again. “Right, thank you. Good night.”

“Good night Mr Pendragon.” Curious and slightly nervous Arthur swiped his card in the elevator and drove up to his apartment.

At least the door was locked and nothing in the entrance area suggested that anyone was here at all. Walking upstairs Arthur saw that the light was on in the hallway and that the door to the guest bathroom stood open. As quietly as he could, Arthur slipped out of his shoes and walked towards the guest room, silently pushing open the door. A slim and long figure was sprawled out on the bed, lying twisted and on his stomach. Curious Arthur came closer and leaned down until he could see the face clearly despite the darkness.

“ _Mer_ lin?!” The sleeping person jerked up and bumped right into Arthur’s face. With a pained yelp he stumbled back, holding his head. “What the bloody fuck?!”

“What- OhmygodI’msososorry!” Merlin sat straight in his bed, the gold that Arthur thought he'd seen flash disappear, staring at Arthur wide-eyed and petrified. The words tumbled out of his mouth and Arthur couldn’t help but smile despite the quite evident bump he already felt under his fingers.

“’S all right.”

“Are you sure? Do you need ice? An ibuprofen? Jesus, I’m really, really sorry!”

“Merlin it’s all right! Just stop being so noisy!” 

“Sorry. Should I leave?”

“What?” 

“Well I did just hit my host against the head. Although of course not intentionally.” Arthur huffed and carefully took his hand away from his face.

“Stop talking nonsense, I promised Lance I’d let you stay.”

“Then why were you surprised that I was here?”

“Not that you were here in general, just that, well,that  _you_ were here.”

“Oh. Well if it makes you feel better I didn’t know it was you before your sour-looking concierge told me your name.”

“Seriously? I didn’t know Lance could be that…sneaky.” Merlin shrugged and grinned.

“I guess he just didn’t want either of us arguing so he could go back to…um…doing whatever he was doing with Gwen.” It took him a moment to place the name to a face but then Arthur grinned knowingly.

“Ah, so he finally found his balls and talked to her, didn’t he?”

“Apparently so. At least when I was there…so was he.”

“Right. Well thanks for the bruise and the pleasant conversation Merlin but I think I’ll head to bed now. Sorry for waking you up.”

“No problem, I’d rather know anyways when someone is creeping at my bedside at night.”

“I wasn’t _creeping.”_

“Yes you were. You were leaning over me when I woke up, hence, you were creeping.”

“I did not creep! _I do not creep!_ Ever! I was just making sure there wasn’t some homeless person staying here after the impression that you left on poor Mr Jordan.” Glad to see Merlin’s face darken enough that it was visible despite the darkness Arthur smirked and headed for the door.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...another long wait for the next chapter. Really sorry about that but I just wasn't sure where to take this. I decided to take some inspiration from the show, but if you have any suggestions or ideas about how to continue then please leave them in the comments! Otherwise thanks for sticking with me and I hope you enjoy! :)

Merlin had just returned from another lesson with Kilgarrah and was still slightly bewildered when he stepped into the elevator to Arthur’s apartment. They got along fine, considering that they barely saw each other; Merlin spent most of his time at Lectures or in the Library, while Arthur was gone working, at the club or locked into his study working on ‘business related stuff that Merlin wouldn’t understand’.

With a tired sigh Merlin unlocked the door, only to be greeted by Arthur pushing back out the door. 

“Okay…What’s going on?” Arthur’s eyes were wide and he looked back over his shoulder.

“You can’t come in right now.”

“And why exactly is that?”

“I have a guest.” Merlin frowned and glanced over Arthur’s shoulder to see a blonde woman with curly hair sitting on the couch, back turned towards them. 

“Who’s that?”

“ _Sophia.”_ His voice was strange, barely a breath as he smiled dreamily while saying her name.

“Um. Should I know her?”

“No. But Merlin…she’s great, she’s beautiful and…can you leave?”

“What? No! I need to study for my exams, don’t be an idiot.”

“But-“

“I’ll just quickly go up to my room, yeah?”

“Fine.” Arthur stepped back grudgingly and Merlin walked past him. Sophia turned and for a moment Merlin caught his breath. She was beautiful with long blonde her and the face of a doll.

But something was definitely off about her.

“You must be Sophia.” The girl turned and smiled icily. Merlin could hear a small sigh from Arthur and barely kept himself from rolling his eyes. 

“Hello. And you are? Arthur didn’t mention you.”

“I live here as well, while my apartment is getting fixed. My name is Merlin Emrys.” Her eyes widened and her mouth opened as if she wanted to say something before closing it with slightly squinted eyes.

“Merlin you should go, you’re making her upset.”

“Oh I don’t think it’s that bad." Merlin grinned and turned back to Sophia with a glare. Keeping his voice even and innocent he asked: "So, when did you two meet?”

“Just this afternoon.” When she answered, Sophia’s voice was soft and slightly wary, and she wouldn't take her eyes away from Merlin, as if she expected him to suddenly leap at her. 

“Some idiot was trying to steal her bag but I managed to get him in time.”

“Very heroic. Sophia…what did you say your last name was?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m just being curious, no-“

“Merlin! Leave. Now.” Merlin turned back to glare at Arthur, before dumping his bag on the floor and leaving the apartment again. As soon as he was out of the building he dialled Gaius’ number.

“What do you need to know?” Merlin grinned and looked around, deciding where to go now that he was expelled from his current home.

“Why can’t I just call my uncle to make sure he is well?”

“Because you barely ever do and we happened to have talked two days ago. So?”

“I was just…I think the woman Arthur met might be a magical being. Anyhow, something is wrong with her.”

“As long as she means no harm, I don’t see the problem.”

“But that’s the thing you see, he’s completely besotted.”

“Maybe it was love at first sight?”

“Maybe…But I don’t think so. I’ve never seen Arthur act up this way over anyone before, not that I’ve known him for that long, but still he seems too rational for something like that. She just doesn’t feel right. I can’t explain it.” Gaius sighed on the other side of the line, right before  Merlin heard his breath hitch. “Everything alright?”

“What did you say her name was?”

“I didn’t, but it’s Sophia. Why?” 

“And would you say she’s…pretty?”

“A bit of an understatement to be honest.” There was a loud groan from the other side of the line.

“Damnation!” 

“What is it Gaius?”

“You have met Morgana, correct?” 

“Yes.”

“You see, Morgana has a bit of power as well it seems, powers of a seer.”

“Really? Does that mean she knows about magic?” 

“Well yes, but no one else does as far as I know. Anyways, she called me to send her more of the tinctures that I used to prepare for her against bad dreams, as she calls them, but we have identified them to be visions of the future, at least sometimes they have correlated with something that occurred in real life.”

“Seriously? Okay, so what does that have to do with Sophia?”

“Two days ago she called about having another dream, in which a very beautiful woman she hadn’t seen before killed Arthur. She was sure it was just a nightmare but still, hearing you say that a mysterious woman just appeared, makes me wonder.”

“Should I talk to her about it?”

“I’m not sure we should get her involved.” Merlin groaned and entered a small café that he had grown quite fond of. He smiled at the familiar barista and ordered a hot chocolate.

“But what am I meant to do about it? I don’t know who she is, or more importantly, what she is.”

“That’s less important than what she wants with Arthur.”

“Well yeah, true, but the way Arthur is right now I can’t really sit next to him and make sure he’s unharmed. I mean, he did just throw me out of the house.”

“You can’t just leave him like this Merlin!”

“I know! Jesus Gaius I’m not stupid!” Gaius grumbled something that sounded a suspicious lot like ‘You sure about that?’

Merlin just shook his head and took a look sip from his hot chocolate. “I need to think about what to do. I think I’ll ask Kilgarrah, as soon as I know more about Sophia.”

 

 

When Merlin returned back to the apartment late that evening he found Arthur lying on the couch, his hands crossed on his chest and a dreamy smile on his face.

“Now what on earth has gotten into you?” Arthur turned his head languidly and his smile widened. “Oh lord. Let me guess; Sophia?”

“She’s great. I…I want to see her again.”

“Alright, should be doable, don’t you think?” Merlin tried to keep his voice calm and not seem like he was about to hyperventilate at the thought of letting Arthur going off with a potential killer.

“I am supposed to meet Morgana here next morning.” 

“Um…”

“I need you to do me a favour. You’d be a friend for life you did.” Merlin swallowed hard at the promise and turned his eyes away.

“What do you need?” Arthur jumped up and grinned, giving him a hard clap on the shoulder.

“Thanks Merlin, I won’t forget it.”

“You still haven’t said what you want me to do.”

 

 

Merlin sat opposite of Morgana on the couch in Arthur’s flat and cleared his throat uncomfortable.

She had arrived perfectly on time and, since Merlin had told her that Arthur wasn’t here and might not be coming any time soon, had been staring at him with a cold glare.

“This would be over so much faster if you would just tell me why my idiot brother isn’t here. I told him it was important.”

“I’m sure he’ll be here later. In case you want to come back then.”

“Nice try but no, I’ll stay here until you tell me where he is and then I’ll go track him down.” Her tone was even and left no room for arguments.

“He uh…he has a date.” Morgana’s eyes widened in shock but she quickly got her face back into the controlled mask it had been before.

“With whom?” 

“I’m not sure he would want me to tell you. I mean, otherwise he would have told you.”

“Merlin, who is Arthur with right now?”

“Now, I know you might be up-“

“Merlin!” Her eyes seemed to flash golden for a bare second before her breathing calmed down to normal again. Merlin smiled a little and shook his head in disbelieve. 

“So Gaius was right…”

“About what?” Merlin shrugged out of his own thoughts, embarrassed that she heard him. “What did Gaius tell you about me?”

“He said you had some magical abilities.” For a moment Morgana seemed to struggle with what to say but then she sat back and smiled condescendingly. 

“And you believed him? Foolish. There is no such thing as magic.”

“I would have almost believed you if I wouldn’t know better.” 

“And how would _you_ know anything about magic, huh?”

“Oh you know, I just hear things every now and then.” Morgana huffed and then sighed. 

“Where is Arthur, Merlin? This is serious.”

“Do you think your dream could really be true?” This time Morgana made no attempt at reigning in her temper.

“What the hell did that bloody old man not tell you?!”

“Very little.” Merlin admitted with a small chuckle. “But if it's true, then Arthur is in danger. I let him go because there was very little I could do about it this morning, but I know that something seems iffy about Sophia.”

“I can’t believe you’d let Arthur go off with someone who might kill him.”

“You have met your brother, right? He can be quite persuasive if he has to be.” Morgana raised a brow and smiled coldly. 

“And what did he promise someone like you, mh?” When Merlin didn’t answer she rolled her eyes. “I don’t care. Anyways, I have to do something about that bitch before she harms Arthur. And you are going to help me.”

Merlin swallowed at the determination in her voice and nodded slowly. Seeing his compliance Morgana smile, straightened her shoulders and stood up.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Umm...so I guess it's been a while?   
> I really have no excuse this time besides being kind of stuck on how to get Sophia out of the picture again but I'm getting there, hence a chapter.   
> It's kind of short but it's still building up to the actually things so you know...anyways sorry for the horribly long wait, I'm so happy for the great response I've gotten and I hope you enjoy! <3

“So…how do you want to go about this then? Just bust in there and get him out? Or something…” Morgana’s glare was enough to get him to shut up, so he just returned to staring at the couch table.

“Call him.”

“What?”

“Call Arthur and ask where he is.”

“Wouldn’t it be rude to-”

“Really?? You might be interrupting his murder so _call_ him, Merlin.”

“Geez seems like bossiness runs in the family.” Merlin dialled Arthur’s number and waited until he finally picked up.

“ _What_?”

“And hello to you too. Um, where are you?”

“ _With Sophia, why?”_

“Yeah but like, _where_. You know. Geographical location.” There was a short silence before Arthur answered again, his words slow and suspicious. 

“ _Why do you need to know that,_ Mer _lin_?”

“Uh, you know, um something happened and I need you to go to Screwfix.” 

“Oh god…” Morgana mumbled and turned away with a roll of her eyes. 

“ _What did you do to my apartment_?”

“Nothing serious just-“

“ _What happened?!”_ Merlin held the phone away from his ear and gave Morgana a thumbs up.

“I don’t know mate, it just, there was a loud bang and some of the light bulbs just exploded.”

“ _The light bulbs?”_

“Yeah, I know right? But you don’t seem to have any spare ones here and I’m not so sure on how to do anything but I guess I could-“

“ _Keep your hands away. Jesus I hate you for this. I’ll be there in half an hour._ ” Merlin hung up the phone and grinned. 

“That actually worked?” 

“Ah, you know, Arthur’s got a soft spot for me.” Her rising brow was enough to shut Merlin up. “Right. So what now?”

“Well, we will go and hunt down Sophia and make sure she won’t get close to Arthur again.”

“And how will that work exactly? Just, you know, besides hypothetically.”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something and you can…I suppose you can act as distraction.”

“Right, great. Thanks so much.” Morgana rolled her eyes and went off to do god knows what, leaving Merlin behind on the couch. He twiddled his thumb for a while before sighing and standing up, choosing his next victim.

Looking around Merlin decided that perhaps the light bulb by the kitchen area would be great, since you needed the light for basically everything. Focusing on two of the light bulbs above the stove and one from the long lamp hanging above the kitchen island, Merlin make them splinter with just a little bit of magic. They went out with a quite dramatic pop, the glass raining down onto the surface. He was about to clean up with some more magic, when Morgana hurried back again. 

“What happened?”

“Uh the light bulbs? If I’m to be the distraction I would like to elongate my lifespan for at least a bit.”

“By damaging his apartment?” This time Merlin rolled his eyes.

“No by assuring that he doesn’t see through my distraction within the first few seconds.”

 

 

“What happened?” Merlin looked up from a magazine including an in-depth article about the pharmaceutical industry, which he had been reading up to that point with a fair amount of interest. 

“Ah welcome back. Where’s Sophia?” 

“Dropped her off at home. I was about to get the light bulbs but you didn’t actually tell me which ones broke so I don't know which size I need to get.” With a sigh Merlin stood up, putting the magazine aside. Meanwhile Arthur threw his jacket on the chair, putting his wallet and phone besides it.

“Look at this.” Arthur stared at the blown out light bulbs, stared at Merlin and turned back again.

“How-“

“Don’t ask me how I managed because it wasn’t my fault.”

“Then why else would my light bulbs suddenly break?! It must have something to do with you!”

“Um this is you apartment? If it’s anyone’s fault then yours because you don’t take care of your things.”

“Excuse you I do ta-“

“Boys!” Both of them turned to look at Morgana who stood at the bottom of the stairs with an annoyed look. “Stop behaving like prats. Arthur, where is Sophia? I hoped to get to know her better.” The slightly glazed look was back over his eyes and he smiled. 

“I dropped her off home.”

“Really? She seems like a girl from a good family. Surely she lives accordingly?” 

“It was adequate but if she marries me she will never have to worry about materialistic things every again!”

“Gosh Arthur listen to yourself.” Before Arthur could even reply Morgana once more interrupted. 

“The light bulbs Arthur, you’ll need to repair them. I think you should go now and buy new ones.”

“But-“

“Now.”

“Why can’t Merlin go and get them? _He’s_ the one who broke them!”

“This is _your_ bloody apartment!”

“Stop! Arthur go and get those light bulbs before I smash something else! Merlin just shut up for once in your life.” Grumbling to himself Merlin crossed his arms and watched as Arthur left the apartment with a venomous glare. Morgana sighed, rubbed the bridge of her nose and turned to Merlin. 

“Right so that wasn’t helpful.”

“You did send him away before he could say anything though.”

“As if it would have made a difference. Also he left his phone – I know that he would have used the navigation system on his phone.” Merlin followed her gaze and nodded slowly. 

“He also forgot his wallet. We should probably get out before he notices.”

“First good idea you’ve had all day. Let’s go.” Morgana clapped her hands and once again Merlin had no other choice but to grab his jacket and follow.

**Author's Note:**

> In case you're wondering why some of the things they say or do seem familiar- quite often I used direct quotes from the actual show, or applied what happened in the show to my setting as good as possible.  
> Of course I don't know Merlin in any way.


End file.
